Flesh and Blood: rules, formats and how to get started
Flesh and Blood is a card game from Legend Story Studios where you play a hero in a duel. What sets it apart from almost every other card game is that there are no resource cards. Every card in your hand can either be played for its effect or discarded to pay for something else, which makes every card a choice between two things you actually want.
Quick facts
| Publisher | Legend Story Studios |
|---|---|
| Launch | 2019 |
| Number of players | 2 |
| Resources | No separate mana system. Almost any card can be pitched to pay |
| Main formats | Classic Constructed, Blitz and Silver Age |
| Rotation | Retires heroes, not sets |
| Card size | Standard, 63 × 88 mm |
Why the game feels different right away
Since there are no resource cards, every effect you play costs you something you also wanted to do. Discarding a card to pay is called pitching, so a deck is balanced as much by its cards' pitch values as by their strength. A hand of only strong cards is a hand you can't afford to play.
On top of that, attack and defence share the same resource. Blocking means using cards you would otherwise have attacked with, which is why it is often right to take damage instead of defending. That is the hardest thing a new player has to relearn. Your hand is also refilled to the same size every turn, so the game is about using your hand well, never about building up cards over time.
Equipment wears out. Shields and armour take damage and are used up during the match, which means your defence is a finite resource just like everything else.
The card types
The hero sits face up and decides what the deck may contain. Weapons are the equipment you attack with, and armour is the protection that wears out as it is used. Attack actions are attacks played from your hand, and defense reactions are played when you defend. Pitching is a mode, not a card type: almost any card can be discarded to pay for another. The exception is Resource, a card type of its own with a few cards such as Cracked Bauble, which have no effect other than their pitch value and exist only to fill out a deck in draft and sealed.
The formats
Classic Constructed is the main format, with bigger decks, longer matches and the full card pool. Silver Age and Blitz are shorter variants with smaller decks and faster matches, and suit an evening when you want to fit in several games. Draft and sealed are played from fresh packs and are most common at prereleases. If there are more than two of you, there is Ultimate Pit Fight, a casual format for three to five players where each player can only attack and be attacked by the neighbours on either side.
Rotation does not work as in other games. Instead of retiring sets, the Living Legend system retires the strongest heroes from the format. The cards stay legal, but the hero that made them dominant leaves along with its signature weapon.
The sets
The game has released sets in an unbroken run since its start in 2019, from Welcome to Rathe onward through series such as Monarch, Tales of Aria, Uprising, Dynasty and Outsiders. Each set has its own set code printed on the card together with the card number, and the two identify the card. Foil versions share their number with the base card.
Usurp the Shadow Throne
In Usurp the Shadow Throne, Viserai kills Chane deep inside i'Arathael and becomes champion of the Old Ones. With an army of corrupted Runeblades he then marches on Rathe. The set has three Shadow heroes: the Runeblade hero Viserai, the hero Malice, a Necromancer debuting in the set, and the Brute hero Levia. It is the game's twentieth set and the second-to-last chapter of the War of the Monarch storyline, with 263 cards including two Fabled and 27 Marvels.
The chase cards are the Marvel card Baalghor, Omen of the End and the Cold Foil card Circlet of Eternal End, among the set's 27 Marvels and two Fabled.
Mastery Pack: Assassin
Mastery Pack: Assassin is a supplementary booster for the Assassin class, with equipment, weapons and attacks that support every Assassin hero from Classic Constructed to Silver Age, including Arakni, Uzuri and the new hero Dr. Mortimer, Blight of the Pits. The set has 157 cards: 7 Marvel, 3 Legendary, 20 Majestic, 40 Rare, 82 Common and 8 Basic. A pack has 13 cards – eight common, two rare or majestic, one rainbow foil and two basic, where one of the slots can be legendary, cold foil or marvel – and a display holds 12 packs. The same release includes Armory Deck Dr. Mortimer, a 60-card Classic Constructed deck built around the new mechanic cure, where curing a disease on your opponent gives you a Silver token and two Silver give an Assassin attack go again.
The chase cards are the set's seven Marvels and the cold foil cards, including Phial of Calamity in cold foil.
Getting started
Buy two ready-made decks so you can play against each other right away. The Ira Welcome Deck is the cheapest way in for two players, blitz decks give you a ready-made hero with equipment, and armory decks are built for in-store play. Then play a few matches without changing anything. It takes a couple of games before you understand why you should hold back from blocking. Build on with boosters once you know which hero you like, and sleeve the decks from the start, since the cards get handled a lot in this game. The cards are standard size, 63 × 88 millimetres.
Building your own deck
- Choose your hero first. The hero decides everything else, and its class and talent control which cards may be included.
- Balance cards with high and low pitch values, or you will never be able to afford what you draw.
- Include cards that can defend, not just attack.
- Choose equipment that suits the hero's play style.
- Expect a large part of the deck to be discarded as payment rather than played.
Beginner mistakes stem from the same misunderstanding. Defending every attack means you never get to attack. Pitching the wrong card leaves you without an attack next turn. Forgetting that armour wears out means your defence runs out mid-match. And comparing the game to games where you build up resources over time leads you astray every time: here there is no build-up, only choices.
Terms you'll come across
| Hero | The hero card that sits face up and governs deckbuilding |
|---|---|
| Pitch | Discarding a card to pay for another |
| Arsenal | The zone where you can save a card for the next turn |
| Go again | Ability that lets you keep acting |
| Block | Defending with a card from your hand |
| Talent | The hero's specialisation, which controls which cards may be included |
| Equipment | Gear that sits face up and wears out |
| Living Legend | The system that retires heroes from the format |
More terms are in the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the game difficult? The rules are simple, but the choices are hard. That is the whole point.
- What should I buy first? Two ready-made decks.
- Which sleeves fit? Standard size, 63 × 88 mm.
- Does the format rotate? Classic Constructed retires heroes instead of sets.
- Can more than two people play? The main formats are built for duels, but Ultimate Pit Fight is an official casual format for three to five players.
Read more about rarities, sleeves and pack types.
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